Album Review

The Orchard is an intimate, intensely personal album that ranks among the most compelling of the artist’s career. With help from singer/songwriter Toshi Reagon, Marc Anthony Thompson (who records under the name Chocolate Genius), and members of Ollabelle, Calexico, and Bob Dylan’s band, Wright has created a beautiful, organic feel on The Orchard — one that is the perfect vehicle for her expressive voice and original songwriting vision. Yet it is Wright herself who shines through most powerfully here, whether on stunning originals such as “When I Fall” or her treatments of Ike & Tina’s “I Idolize You” and Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You.”

Biography

Born: 22 January 1980 in Hahira, GA

Genre: Jazz

Years Active: '00s, '10s

Lizz Wright is a vocalist and composer who synthesizes R&B, jazz, folk, blues, and gospel. She was born in 1980 in the Georgia town of Hahira, and her musical tastes blossomed early on. Her father served as the pianist and musical director at the local church, and he encouraged his daughter to absorb the soulful dispositions of classic hymns. Eventually, blues and jazz were added to Wright's musical plate, and by high school she was earning awards in choir competitions. Wright was coming into her...